VIEW ENTIRE NCAA BRACKET HERE
Q&A with Florida's Mary Wise
Q&A with Kentucky's Craig Skinner
Q&A with Tennessee's Rob Patrick
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The NCAA announced the 64-team bracket for the 2011 NCAA Volleyball Championships Sunday afternoon and the Southeastern Conference qualified three teams for the tournament. The SEC Champion Tennessee Lady Vols garnered a No. 14 national seed while Kentucky and Florida also earned a spot in the tournament.
Tennessee (27-3, 19-1 SEC) has a 12-match win streak intact and will host Duke (21-8), Ohio State (19-14) and Middle Tennessee State (21-11) for first and second rounds on Dec. 1-2 in Knoxville, Tenn. The Lady Vols will take on the Blue Devils on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The second round match is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 2.
Kentucky (26-5, 17-3 SEC) will open against Dayton (26-5) in College Station, Texas. The winner will face either Lipscomb (20-10) or future SEC member Texas A&M (22-7) in the second round.
Florida (24-5, 17-3 SEC) squares off with future SEC member Missouri (21-12) in the opening round at Northern Iowa, who earned the No. 6 national seed. Should Florida advance, they will face either the host Panthers (32-1) or Niagara (25-8) in the second round.
In appearances, this marks the 21st consecutive season, 22nd overall for the Gators to advance to the NCAA Tournament. It is the seventh consecutive season for Kentucky to earn a bid to the tournament, the school’s 13th appearance overall. Tennessee makes their 13th overall appearance to the tournament, the seventh time in eight years for the Lady Vols.
The SEC’s highest finish in the NCAA Tournament was in 2003 when Florida advanced to the Championship Final. In 2010, the Gators advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Pre-determined regional sites include Honolulu, Hawaii, Minneapolis, Minn., Gainesville, Fla. and Lexington, Ky. on Dec. 9-10. The semifinals and finals will be held Dec. 15 and 17 in San Antonio, Texas.